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Royal Challengers Bangalore begin a new era in their history with a match against the Punjab Kings in the 2022 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Faf du Plessis will make his debut in the team as skipper of the side while Virat Kohli will be seen as a pure player for the first time in over a decade.
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Kohli’s tenure as the captain ended with the team winning no IPL titles under him, or indeed, before he was promoted to the role. While they may be hoping for a fresh start, they have a readymade challenge in front of them in the form of the absence of South African stalwart AB de Villiers. While the former Proteas captain was a shadow of himself in the second half of the IPL last season, it remains to be seen how RCB cope with the absence of arguably one of the greatest all-format batters of all time.
Let’s take a look at how RCB could line up against PBKS:
1. Virat Kohli: With the departure of Devdutt Padikkal, Kohli will be a shoo-in for the opening slot. Kohli has often played at his best when he opened the batting for RCB and they will hope that their former skipper can put his recent lean patch behind him.
2. Faf du Plessis (captain): The new RCB captain was devastating in the opening slot for CSK for a number of years. If the partnership he forms with Kohli can be even close to what he did with Shane Watson and later Ruturaj Gaikwad, RCB are in for a good season.
3. Mahipal Lomror: The 22-year-old spent four seasons with Rajasthan Royals where he made a few impressions but never really settled in as a first team regular. It could be different at RCB. They need a No.3 batter and while Glenn Maxwell may play in this role if the openers take the innings deep, Rawat will be competing for this spot with Anuj Rawat.
4. Finn Allen: The absence of Glenn Maxwell in the early part of the season gives RCB a headache in the No.4 position. Allen is yet to show what he can do in the IPL but he boasts a strike rate of over 175 in the 51 T20 matches he has played.
5. Dinesh Karthik (wicketkeeper): Karthik may be ageing but despite his rising commentary commitments, he was a regular in the domestic limited overs tournaments. Having an Indian wicketkeeper helps open up spots for other foreigners and Karthik also remains a capable death overs batter.
6. Sherfane Rutherford: The Guyanese big hitter spent the second half of the 2021 season on the sidelines for the SunRisers Hyderabad as he was brought in as a replacement player for Jonny Bairstow. Rutherford is another player who has a penchant for big hits.
7. Wanindu Hasaranga: The hottest Sri Lankan product around, Hasaranga would be eager to show what he is made of to the Bengaluru fans after he missed out on the opportunity during his country’s recent series in India due to injury.
8. Shahbaz Ahmed: The 27-year-old showed last season that he is handy with the ball and a capable finisher as well with the bat. Shahbaz would be an important player for RCB if he can chip in with consistent performances.
9. Harshal Patel: The fast bowler broke all kinds of records last season and will be integral to RCB’s plans this season.
10. Mohammed Siraj: Another player who could be integral to RCB’s chances this season. He took 11 wickets last season and has been among the guaranteed starters for India across formats.
11. Siddharth Kaul: Kaul has a chance of making himself a regular in the pace department with Hazlewood out for the first few games.
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